Becoming Mr Black
by ThatGuyYouKnew
Summary: Harry inherits a legacy that takes him all over the world, Leaving a trail of chaos behind him. Follow Harry as he figures out just who he is, who he wants to be, and the value of a name.
1. In The Beginning

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter or anything else you might recognize.

**Author's Note:**

I had a bunch of pieces and parts and stuff that I wanted to do something with, and I've recently been reading Mjimeyg's _Potter's Protector_ and Rorschach's Blot's _Make A Wish_ and their related stories, so I decided to try my own spin on making a 'Mr. Black'.

Leave a review with a name if you want to guess who the mystery person is!

(Feb. 9) - Fixed the date for after fifth year from 1995 to 1996, as was pointed out to me by serialkeller.

**Publish Date:** Feb. 1st, 2014

**Update Date:** Feb. 9th, 2014

* * *

**Prologue**

Oh, How Did It Ever Come To This?

_(A.K.A. You Can't Take It With You) _

**September 15th, 2021**

**11:20 PM.**

Two forms step out of the fireplace into Potter Manor. Both know that Harry plans to run away. Both have known for nearly as long as Harry himself has. One has figured out that it will be quite soon and they both wanted to at least say their goodbyes in person and not get left with just a letter and a mystery.

The two move through the packed manor carefully, making their way to the sound of Harry's voice. As they get closer, the one in front says, "That's chanting. Hurry! If he's already started, we might not have much time!"

"What's all this stuff here for, 'Mione?" the second figure asked, trying to pull Hermione to a stop.

"I don't know, storage maybe?" Hermione answered distractedly, dragging her partner by the hand as she hurried toward where Harry was.

"No, 'Mione!" The second figure hissed, yanking the bushy-haired witch to a sudden halt. "You aren't listening. _Again_." The person huffed and asked more pointedly, "What's all this stuff _here_ for, 'Mione?" gesturing around to the stacks of books and boxes littering the entire Manor. "Why store it _here_ instead of Gringott's? Honestly, if he's leaving as permanently as we think, then why store _anything at all_?"

The answer seemed to hit both Hermione and her friend at the same time. He stored everything here because... Because...

Hermione chuckled weakly and stated, "I guess the saying 'you can't take it with you' really_ does_ only apply to death."

"Not. Funny." Hermione's friend hissed quietly. "We're pretty close to the front door and he's not done chanting yet." There was a pause and then, "If we run, we can likely make it out of the radius of Harry's ritual, but we'd never get to say goodbye." There was a pause, then the person continued with an obvious grin in their voice, "Or we could stay. Get ourselves caught up in a genuine Harry Potter adventure. We're completely unprepared and we only have our wands, but do we really need anything else?"

Hermione froze, indecision filling her. This was a completely life-altering decision.

"'Mione, you need to hurry up and make a decision."

_Stay or go. Yes or no._

On the one hand, she would be with her two best friends, no matter where they ended up. She had her wand, and the supply bag she had taken to carrying everywhere with her after the great horcrux hunt. Her parents were in Australia and didn't remember her. She decided it was likely for the best given how happy they were when she found them. She had no other family and no one would really miss her.

"Hermione, if you don't make a decision, your indecision will decide for you!"

On the other hand, there was still _soooo_ much she wanted to see and do here before she ended up God-knows-where. And hadn't she sworn off the whole adventure thing? Didn't this go against that just a little bit? And her _library_! What would happen to that?

"**Hermione!**"

Hermione's eyes snapped to her friend's. "Are you staying or going? If you're going to have any chance at all of getting out of here, then you need to leave, _now._"

Hermione suddenly relaxed and smirked. "You're? You?" The bushy-haired witch questioned. "Already decided to stay, I take it?"

Hermione's partner in crime smirked in reply and shrugged. "What can I say? Those green eyes always do get me into trouble."

Hermione laughed and muttered, "Oh, how did it ever come to this?"

* * *

**Chapter One**

In The Beginning...

_(A.K.A. That First Step Is A Doozy!)  
_

**May 21st, 1996**

**9:47 AM**

Like all stories, this one has a beginning. It's not the mysterious beginning of a dark and stormy night, or the terrifying beginning of running from something through a forest, or even the confusing beginning of waking from a dream.

True, this story does begin with mystery; it was leaving day, the start of summer, and for most school children, they may plan, but who knows what they'll end up getting into until school begins again in September. There was even a bit of terror in the air, as some students were dreading the conversations they knew their parents were going to have with them as soon as they got off the train. And it was definitely confusing trying to organize the transfer of that many prisoners... Err... Students, from the castle to the train and still try to make sure that every student had a decent breakfast before their parole... Err... Break. No, this story has a much more humble beginning.

This story begins with a simple stone, just barely bigger than a marble.

This particular stone was much like the rest of it's kind coming from the shores of Black Lake. Smooth, slightly polished, and a bit rounded from the water rushing over it for so many years. This particular stone, however, had been picked up and carried away from its lake shore home many days ago, all because a young first year girl thought it was pretty and wanted to keep it.

Today, the stone sat patiently on the girl's nightstand, before being hastily shoved in a pocket on leaving day. Like all children, the stone in her pocket was promptly forgotten about in the rush to go home after a long nine months at school. The bouncing and shifting the young girl was doing caused the stone to tumble unnoticed from her pocket as she was leaving the castle.

The stone rolled about, being shuffled here and there along the ground by rushing children until it finally came to a stop, sitting rather precariously on the edge of the top step. The girl continued on towards the train, thoroughly unaware of the events that would unfold due to a simple stone being dropped from her pocket.

As the day continued, the stone was ignored and avoided. Not purposely, mind you, but it didn't change the fact that the stone was still innocently sitting there later, unaware of it's greater destiny as a catalyst, when our hero arrived.

Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world (for now at least), was walking with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, to the Hogwarts Express to head back to London for the summer. After the Department of Mysteries fiasco, they were all lost in their own thoughts, and none of them were paying much attention to where they were walking.

As they reached the stairs leading out of the castle, Harry's foot suddenly slid out from under him, toppling him forward and sending him crashing to the bottom of stairs with a loud and sickening _crack_. Groaning in pain, Harry rolled onto his back and cradled his now obviously broken arm to his chest.

After checking to make sure Harry was okay, Hermione said, "Go ahead and get on the train and get a compartment, Ron. I'll take Harry to the hospital wing and make sure he's okay, then I'll meet you there."

The redhead hesitated for a moment and then nodded, asking, "Are you sure?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Yes Ron, I'm sure." While she knew he was just worried about her after her injury, his constant hovering and treating her like glass was starting to grate on her already frayed nerves. Yes, she had been injured, but he was starting to take things a bit too far. As soon as Ron turned away, Hermione rolled her eyes and carefully helped her best friend to his feet.

"Hermione, I can make it to the infirmary on my own just fine," he said with a slight grin that turned into a grimace as his arm shifted. "I don't want you to miss the train."

Hermione huffed and replied quickly, "Harry, I'm going with you. I need to get away from Ron for a bit and I need to talk to Madame Pomfrey anyway." With that, she shrunk down both of their trunks and slid them into her pocket.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, his own pain momentarily forgotten, replaced with worry over the girl that had been beside him for damn near everything since they became friends.

Hermione smiled at him and nodded, saying, "I just need to ask her some questions about the potions she has me taking."

They walked in a comfortable silence up to the Hospital Wing, where they were met by the Headmaster, who was just heading out of the infirmary. Upon seeing the two students, his smile turned into a slight frown as he asked, "Hello Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger. What happened?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione beat him to it. "We were leaving the castle and Harry slipped and broke his arm," she replied tersely. Harry was a bit surprised at her tone, but he just chalked it up to worry and not wanting to miss the train.

Dumbledore looked at the both of them intensely for a short moment before nodding and saying, "Then I will not hold you up any longer than necessary. As you've no doubt missed the train by now, Come to my office as soon as Madame Pomphrey is finished with the both of you. On a completely unrelated note, I feel like trying a Blood Pop. I hear they have a new formula and I'd like to see if it's any better than the last." With that, he walked away, leaving the two students to enter the infirmary.

* * *

"Blood Pops."

Hermione and Harry walked up the stairs leading to the Headmaster's office, both lost in their own thoughts. For Harry, the last time he had been here, he had thoroughly trashed the Headmaster's office. While he did feel a bit bad about it, he felt it was justified after everything that had been kept from him.

Hermione, on the other hand, was equal parts worried for Harry's safety, and worried about how this meeting would turn out. She was starting to have her doubts as to the Headmaster's motives. A lot of things weren't adding up for her, and given her... _reluctance_ to see the worst in authority figures, that was saying quite a bit. She was just glad she had put a few back-up plans in place to ensure she could do her best to keep her best friend safe.

The two students reached the top of the stairs and Harry raised his hand to knock, only to be stopped at the Headmaster's call to enter. They both walked in cautiously and sat down in front of the Headmaster's desk. After a moment, Dumbledore looked up and said, "Well, I suppose you both have questions you would like the answers to?"

"Why did you put Harry in that horrendous place?" Hermione demanded immediately, causing Harry to start in surprise at the acid in her tone. While he had never come out and told her what growing up there was like, he knew she was quite intelligent, and likely would have figured it out eventually. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but apparently Hermione knew he would, as she held up a finger to stop him, her eyes never straying from a point just over Dumbledore's left shoulder, right next to his ear.

Dumbledore looked at Harry for a moment before saying, "I promised you no more secrets, and I will honor that, but are you sure you wish to have Ms. Granger here for this conversation?" At Harry's nod, Dumbledore wilted a bit and suddenly looked far older than he did a moment ago. He sighed and nodded once before turning back to Hermione and answering, "There were two reasons, one just as important than the other. Firstly, the blood protections his mother placed on him could only be maintained by a blood relative, and the only person I knew of with Evans blood that was still alive was Petunia. Considering she had once begged me to let her attend Hogwarts alongside her sister, I didn't think she would allow you to be treated the way she did."

Harry's eyes widened involuntarily at that and the Headmaster turned towards Harry and continued, "Did you know that there hasn't been a case of child abuse in the magical world for more than two hundred years?" Even Hermione looked shocked at that. "That is because in the magical world, children are infinitely precious, and treated with great care. Disciplined, yes, but never abused. To do so risks damaging your own line and no one wants that." He shook his head and added, "I became so used to living in the magical world that it simply didn't occur to me that such a thing could happen. It was inconceivable."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly and sighed again. "The second reason is a touch more complex. You weren't there for the first war, and you never _saw_ just how bad things had gotten by that point. We were losing ground and had no idea who we could trust. While yes, I did set up the _Fidelius_ charm for your parents, Lily was the one who bound the secret to the Secret Keeper. Lily and James had told me that they had decided to use Sirius, never telling me that they had switched and were using him as bait at his own insistence. Because of this, I truly believed that Sirius had betrayed your parents, and if he of all people could be a Death Eater, then who else was I mistaken about?" Dumbledore's shoulders slumped a bit and he shook his head sadly. "I was too terrified of what might happen if any of the more... _Vocal_ pureblood families had gotten hold of you, and while I knew living with your aunt and uncle would be difficult for you, I believed that a difficult life was leagues better than no life at all."

Dumbledore snorted, adding, "Did you know Lucius Malfoy put forth a suit to try and gain custody of you less than a week after your parent's death? As did the Parkinson's, the Nott's, the Zabini's, and about half a dozen other families that I knew had ties to Voldemort." At Harry and Hermione's widening eyes, Dumbledore nodded sadly and continued, "Exactly. Do I regret the way you were raised? Yes. Would I make the same decisions knowing all I know now? Most likely." The Headmaster smiled slightly and said, "You've grown into a fine young man, Harry, despite the way you were treated."

"Why didn't you at least check on me?" Harry asked, still angry at having to stay at the Dursley's, but less so than he was at the start of the conversation.

"Like I said, I didn't know who I could trust." Dumbledore shook his head sadly, saying, "It took me more than a year to be able to trust Mrs. Figg enough to place her where I did, and a lot of that was because I knew, as a squib, Voldemort would never allow her to have any place in his organization." Dumbledore sighed tiredly and continued, "Voldemort and his followers see squibs as useless, so she could move with far more freedom than I could. I couldn't risk being followed or tracked and leading them straight to you. The blood ward was the only protection I could put up, as any more would have drawn unnecessary attention to that house and you in particular."

Dumbledore grabbed a lemon drop from the candy dish on his desk and popped it into his mouth, sucking on it for a second before speaking, "Either way, some members of the Order are on their way to the Dursley's to gather anything you might have left there and impress upon them the need to move from Number Four, and I intend to go this evening to ensure my own... _Displeasure_ is known to them. I do not believe that it would be safe for you to stay there any longer." He shrugged and added, "Regardless of your answer to the offer I have for you at the end of this conversation, you won't be returning to that place unless you decide to go there yourself for some reason."

Harry snorted and muttered, "That'll never happen." He sighed and thought for a moment before asking, "What offer are you talking about?"

Dumbledore's eyes flicked to Hermione and back before he stated, "That, is between you and I. No offense meant to Ms. Granger, but the fewer who know, the better." He raised his hands to forestall Harry's objections and continued, "It's not that you can't tell Ms. Granger later if you do accept, but on the chance that you don't, the fewer who know, the better. In fact, if you do accept, it might be a good idea to tell her and one or two others anyway." He shook his head and added, "I wouldn't tell Mr. Weasley, however. While he is trustworthy, he has quite the habit of opening his mouth before engaging his brain, and that is not a good thing for secrets of this magnitude."

Harry sighed before reluctantly accepting that the Headmaster was right. Ron may be his best mate, but the events after his name came out of the goblet proved that he wasn't his best _friend_. That title went to Hermione. After a moment he asked, "So you didn't get Ron to be my friend to spy on me?"

Dumbledore looked shocked and then slightly angry for a moment before stating, "Certainly not!" He sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples before saying, "Have you never wondered why Molly _always_ arrives from the King's Cross entrance, and _always_ arrives with only a short time to spare? Have you ever seen her or her children arrive late for anything else? I promised her parents and brothers that I would always look after her wellbeing, and Hogwarts isn't inexpensive."

Harry and Hermione stayed silent and Dumbledore continued his explanation. "You both know that Molly and Arthur are very proud people, and don't accept charity, so I have been paying her for years to arrive at the time she does, the way she does, under a few modified muggle repulsion and notice-me-not charms, to attract the notice of any muggleborn children and their parents who might not know how to get onto the platform and help them make it to the train before it leaves."

He shrugged helplessly and continued, "Between that and a few other similar odd jobs for me, such as introducing muggleborn children to the world of magic and delivering their letters, the Weasley family could just barely afford to send their children here." He shook his head slightly and said, "It was the only way I could think of for me to be able to give them the money for them to send all of their children to Hogwarts. Was I happy that you found a friend in the Weasley family? Most definitely. They are good people. Did I orchestrate such a meeting to that end to spy on you? No. I may give people small nudges in the direction I hope they will go, but it is ultimately their choice."

"What about the stone in first year?" Hermione asked. She seemed more relaxed than she had been when they had first entered, but still looked a bit tense. "I just can't believe that protections that three first years were able to get by you would consider good enough to protect such an item."

Dumbledore nodded and replied, "I removed the stone from Gringott's because a successful theft would be grounds for a new goblin rebellion. I couldn't take the chance that such a thing would happen, as it would cripple magical England. And the professors, for all their intelligence, are teachers, not security experts." He shook his head and continued, "Either way, I believed that I could better mitigate and distract the thief here than I could anywhere else."

"It was a trap," Hermione stated suddenly. "Why did you risk such a dangerous item in such a way?" She demanded.

Dumbledore hesitated a moment before looking at them both with an intensity that startled the two students. "The second reason is something that I truly don't wish to tell either of you. Something I kept secret and only one other at the moment knows." Dumbledore took a deep breath and continued. "Even if Quirrell got his hands on the stone and managed to escape, it wouldn't have mattered. All Voldemort would have had was a pretty, yet ultimately useless, red rock."

Harry was stunned into silence. Hermione gathered her wits quicker and stuttered out, "The- The stone was a fake the entire time? It was a trap? Why didn't you tell us?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly and replied, "Yes, the stone was a fake, and I didn't say anything because you three were so _proud_ of your accomplishment and how hard you worked to keep the stone from Voldemort. I couldn't bring myself to tell three proud first years that everything they did, all the risks they took, were ultimately meaningless. Not only that, but simply possessing that knowledge puts the stone, Nicholas Flamel, myself, and you three at much greater risk."

Harry snorted and said, "That must have made you mad, that three well-meaning first years ruined your trap so spectacularly."

Dumbledore smiled and replied, "I will admit I was quite agitated when I found out. The only reason you three weren't severely reprimanded for your actions was because you all truly believed the stone was real and did everything you could to keep it safe. Doing what was right instead of what was easy is behavior I wanted to encourage."

"What about second year?" Hermione asked cautiously. "I just can't believe that you couldn't figure out the monster was a basilisk after nearly fifty years when a student figured it out in a single school year."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly and replied, "Ms. Granger, I am not omniscient. There was one attack that killed a student fifty years ago, and there are many creatures that can kill." He sighed and continued, "Fifty years ago, I was looking for something far smaller than a sixty-foot snake. It simply didn't occur to me that the plumbing was a viable means of travel throughout the castle."

Hermione sighed at that. She honestly wouldn't have thought of it if Harry hadn't mentioned hearing the voice coming from inside the walls, and even then, it was a random thought that only really presented itself when she was out of other options and driving herself insane trying to figure it out.

"And the dementors in third year?" Harry asked curiously.

"I think the forced hiring of Umbridge proved that when the Ministry truly wants something, they will make it happen, despite my vehement protests," Dumbledore answered. "Do you honestly think that I would allow that toad of a woman to teach at this school otherwise?" Dumbledore snorted and muttered, "That fool Lockhart was more useful as a teacher than she was, even if he was only an example of what _not_ to do."

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament and fake Mad-Eye?" Hermione questioned.

"Barty Crouch Jr. knew all of the correct pass phrases and codes to prove identity, and was a very good actor." Dumbledore said, shaking his head sadly and continuing, "With everything else happening that year, I admit it was a mistake to trust him with so much without keeping an eye on him, but I honestly believed it was Alastor Moody and not an impostor. As for the tournament, once entered it is impossible to get out of, the magics of the goblet see to that. If I had a way of getting Harry out of it without killing him, I would have."

"Why did it take you all so long to get to the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked quietly. "I told Snape when Umbridge was trying to interrogate us, but it took you nearly three hours to catch up?" Harry shook his head, saying, "I just can't buy that."

Dumbledore sighed and replied, "Do you have any idea how long it takes to organize a rescue attempt when your forces are scattered across a city? And sometimes a proper rescue attempt, _attempt_ mind you, could take up to two days." At the look on the faces of the two teens, Dumbledore drooped and added, "I know it seems horrible, but that's the reality of how long it actually takes to plan an incursion into a fortified location and extract an individual, and that's if you rush." He looked sternly at the two teens and said, "You can't run headlong into things without a plan. You have to end up being lucky every time with that method and only _one_ enemy needs to be lucky _once_ to _end you_."

Harry slumped and Dumbledore relaxed, saying gently, "I'm not trying to reprimand you, but these are things you need to be more mindful of in the future, especially if you accept my offer."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation. Eventually, Hermione nodded and stood up, squeezing Harry's shoulder as she passed and left the office with a soft click.

After several moments of the headmaster casting what Harry guessed were privacy spells, Dumbledore set his wand down and looked at Harry appraisingly.

Harry, for his part, did his absolute best not to fidget, he really did, but after another several minutes, Harry couldn't take it anymore and shifted in his seat, saying, "Umm... Sir?"

Dumbledore seemed to start slightly before smiling and replying, "Do you have any idea as to just how lucky you are, Harry?" at Harry's confusion, Dumbledore continued. "You father had a bit of a potions accident late in his fifth year involving some Felix Felicis and a few other potions that the Potions Professor at the time was brewing. It caused him to have a great deal of good luck, and he seems to have passed that ability on to you," Dumbledore explained with a chuckle.

After a second he sobered and continued with a wince, "Unfortunately, on the very rare occasions that his luck was bad, it was _very_ bad. I hope you are mindful of that and try not to leave too much to chance in the future?"

At Harry's nod, Dumbledore sighed and opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out what looked to be an obviously old shrunken chest. Even shrunken, it was still quite large, about the size of a thick textbook, and even someone as inexperienced as Harry could feel the magic surrounding the item in question.

"Inside this chest, is a legacy," Dumbledore began quietly. "One that dates back to before Merlin himself. In fact, Merlin was once a bearer of this, before passing it along to his best apprentice."

Harry was initially surprised, but looking at the chest again and literally _feeling_ the magic on it, he was rather inclined to believe such a thing. Harry looked back at the headmaster, not saying a word.

"This chest also contains a responsibility, a lifetime commitment," Dumbledore continued sadly. "One that I find it's time to pass on." Dumbledore straightened and looked at Harry, saying, "There are certain conditions that must be met before someone is even able to open this chest, both physical and mental." With a shrug, Dumbledore shrugged and smirked, saying, "There is a chance that you may never be able to open it, in which case certain contingencies will kick in and it will be returned to a place where it can be watched over."

At Harry's indignant look, Dumbledore continued, "I honestly don't believe that will happen, Harry. I doubt you'll have any trouble opening it one day, but that isn't today." Dumbledore took a deep breath and pushed the trunk across his desk, adding, "Today, you take this with you and put it somewhere safe."

* * *

Time passed, and Harry forgot about the chest at the bottom of his school trunk. His sixth year was a disaster, seeing the death of Albus Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape. What was supposed to be his seventh year and the search for Voldemort's anchors was just as bad, if not worse in some ways.

They narrowly avoided being captured, but only because Harry was in possession of information there was no logical way for him to have obtained. He tried to pass it off as something from his scar, but Hermione became suspicious quickly.

It was something she had never let go of, even if she didn't bring it up with Harry. She had no idea _how_ he knew what he had, just that he _did_. And to _lie to her face_ about where he got the information? Suspicious and a bit hurt didn't even begin to cover it. But she decided to just wait and watch. She trusted that Harry wouldn't put her into danger on purpose.

It would be another several months before Hermione would have her answers.

* * *

Harry went back with Hermione to retake their seventh and last year at Hogwarts. He expected the stares. He expected the applause. He expected the congratulations. It was basically an amplified version of the way they had treated him before, much to his displeasure.

What He _didn't_ expect was to get bloody well _mobbed_ the second he showed his face in the Great Hall the first morning for breakfast.

That fiasco became the first day that Harry Potter went into hiding. He was present in classes and at exams, but other than that, it was as if he had simply vanished the moment he crossed a classroom's threshold. Even Hermione was unable to locate him, sending her into an absolute tizzy.

And the first person to find him was the last person anyone else would have expected.


	2. Meet The Cast

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter... Or the lefts.

**Author's Note:**

The second chapter of _Becoming Mr. Black_.

**Publish Date:** Feb 10th, 2014

**Update Date:** N/A

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Meet The Cast 

_(A.K.A. Harry-Hunting)_

Four weeks.

It had been four weeks since Harry had been seen at all outside of classes. No one that Hermione had asked had seen so much as a glimpse of Harry that wasn't within the boundaries of classes where the teachers kept disruptions to a minimum.

Hermione was in the common room and driving herself into a complete and utter tizzy trying to figure out where Harry was disappearing to, not to mention how he was doing it. Searching the castle was an absolute nightmare for someone like her, with her predominantly logical mind. She was about ready to tear out her hair, she was so frustrated.

She was even considering asking _Malfoy_ for information, she was so desperate.

She had even gone so far as to try and recreate the Marauder's Map. She had a semi-working prototype that worked sometimes, but it was still quite a bit... _Glitchy_. Sometimes it would show people where they weren't and not show people where they were and sometimes it would work just fine, it seemed to be a coin flip on which it was at any given time. She had it out now, looking over it to see if maybe Harry would appear on it somewhere. She was about to give up when she decided to give it one more look. She bent over the map again, just to make sure, and became confused before deciding that the map was messing up again.

There was no way Harry was in a broom cupboard with _that_ person. It didn't make sense, they didn't even know each other.

A tiny part of Hermione's mind whispered, _'But, what if..?'_, making the bushy-haired witch sigh and get out of her chair in the common room, psudo-map in hand, to find out if it was possible or if she needed to scrap the map and try something else.

* * *

Luna Lovegood was wandering the castle with a purpose. Most people wouldn't believe it, but she knew what she was doing. She always did, even if people didn't understand or didn't care to try.

Skipping around the school in a rather chaotic fashion, which to her was a complicated pattern that involved multiple constantly changing variables, most people got out of her way or avoided her all together if possible. One brave soul actually mustered up the courage to ask what she was doing.

"Herding Nargles and Wrackspurts, of course!"

With that, she continued on her way, leaving a rather befuddled and confused Hufflepuff behind her.

She suddenly stopped in the hallway, mid-skip and mid-song, deciding that her job was done for the day. She smiled serenely to herself at a job well done when something else occurred to her, something she almost forgot to do. She scowled for a second at not getting a second of rest, but shook it off and skipped away, intent on tracking down her new target.

She continued skipping around the corridors seemingly at random until she suddenly stopped next to a suit of armor. She took one step to the side so that she was hidden behind it and began counting to herself.

Upon reaching zero, she jumped out from her hiding place and crept up behind her target before finally saying, "There you are. I have some questions for you."

* * *

Tracy Davis was stalking the corridors of Hogwarts, looking for someone. She had no idea where they had disappeared to, but she was going to find out and then she was going to get answers, one way or another.

She started in all of the usual haunts, not expecting to find anything, but unwilling to skip over them, just in case. With those locations not bearing any fruit, she moved on to some of the less popular places, the hidden places that had been stumbled upon and whispered about around their darkened common room over the years. That took longer, seeing as it became necessary to avoid the awkward questions that would crop up if she were to be caught searching the less explored parts of the castle.

After that yielded no results, she began randomly opening doors and looking around the rooms, meandering around the castle. Given she had no other ideas on places to search, this seemed to be the best way to cover a lot of ground. It wasn't the _best_ way to do things at this point, but it was the one that allowed her to cover the most ground.

Wandering around one of the unused parts of the castle, she opened a random door, and finally found the person she was looking for. _'Finally,'_ Tracy thought to herself. "There you are." Seeing her prey freeze, Tracy arched an eyebrow and said, "I have some questions for you."

* * *

Neville Longbottom was standing at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, right in front of the portrait in fact, waiting for someone to either come out or go in, as he had once again forgotten the password. He chuckled quietly at himself. He was one of the Ministry Six, he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, and even after seven years here, he still continued to forget how to enter his own dorm.

He was just getting bored and starting to get lost in his thoughts when Hermione stormed out of the Portrait hole, muttering under her breath as she started intently at a piece of parchment. He knew what was going on, she was looking for Harry, the same thing she had been for the past few weeks. For once, he was curious as to what she was up to this time. The only parchment that he knew of that Hermione would look that intently at was either homework, which wouldn't help her find Harry, or Harry's map. Knowing that Harry would never part with the thing, especially considering he had gone into hiding and that was a useful tool, he figured that if anyone could have a chance to recreate such an item, it would be her, and that she was likely testing it out now.

Deciding on a whim to see what was up, he approached her and matched her quick strides heading away in a vaguely familiar direction. After a moment he asked, "No luck on finding Harry, I take it?"

Hermione grumbled slightly under her breath before answering, "None yet, but maybe this will help."

Neville leaned over to see the parchment in Hermione's hands and confirmed his suspicions. "How's the map working so far?"

With a heavy sigh, Hermione replied, "It's being difficult. Sometimes it's accurate and people are where the map says they are, and sometimes it's completely wrong and I still can't figure out why!"

Neville looked confused for a moment before shrugging. He likely couldn't help with fixing the map, but at least he wasn't bored any more. Finally he asked, "What are you going to do when you find Harry?"

Hermione scowled dangerously before replying, "I'm going to hit him over the head until it gets through his thick skull that he shouldn't be running away from his friends like this!"

With that thought, Neville decided it was best to just follow along and stop asking questions, lest he invoke the rage of Hurricane Hermione. He nearly snorted remembering why Harry and Ron had started calling her that.

But in her defense, Ron _really_ shouldn't have said that N.E.W.T.'s were rather unnecessary, and that she was, in Ron's own words, 'Completely nutters to worry so much about something so trivial'.

The wake of destruction and the howling rage that followed made Molly Weasley's howlers bloody well pleasant in comparison. There were people that had been outside at the greenhouses, on the opposite side of the school, that had clearly heard her ranting at the dense redhead. Most stared in awe at the young witch's lung capacity and sheer volume, even some of the teachers were rather impressed, even if they wouldn't admit to such a thing.

The fact that they had finally found Ron cowering and completely barricaded in an unused classroom down in the dungeons, still shivering in terror three days later was the only reason she hadn't gotten in more trouble for the ruckus she had caused.

Neville was pulled out of his thoughts by Hermione muttering under her breath. She grabbed him by the arm in a vice-like grip and frog-marched him down a narrow corridor, turning another corner as soon as she could. Confused, he looked down at the map and immediately saw why she would want to change directions.

Luna Lovegood was passing by where they had been not moments before.

Neville chuckled and shook his head. Luna was a sweet girl, just a bit 'out there', but for Hermione, talking to Luna usually resulted in a migraine and several colorful phrases muttered under her breath, so she she tended to avoid a confrontation with the strange girl whenever possible.

With another muttered curse, Hermione grabbed Neville again and tugged him down another random corridor. Neville just shrugged and went with it, knowing he could catch up with the strange Ravenclaw later at dinner.

Hermione would periodically glance at the map and on occasion change directions to avoid patrols and other students, especially Luna. The last thing either of them needed was the rumors that would erupt if they got caught wandering around the less used parts of the castle alone.

After a few tense moments and one last glance at the map to make sure they were going in the right direction, Hermione finally pocketed the map and strode down the corridor ahead of her, followed by Neville.

After a moment of utter silence where the two were thinking about the inevitable confrontation between the two psudo-siblings, a voice echoed from right behind them, causing Hermione to freeze in her tracks before her shoulders slumped down and her head dropped in defeat.

"There you are. I have some questions for you."

* * *

Daphne Greengrass hadn't been at Hogwarts during the year that Snape was Headmaster. Both she and her sister had to miss that entire year for 'health reasons', along with any other activities they might have had. At first it had angered Daphne that her father was basically keeping her a prisoner at home, but then she started hearing things on the Wireless and reading articles in the Prophet. Combined with the letters she was occasionally getting from her associates in school, it painted a rather grim picture of the magical world and Hogwarts. The news was only getting worse as the year progressed, with the growing list of dead and missing, the dismal reports, until it all finally culminated in what was now being called the Battle of Hogwarts and the death of Voldemort.

And now she was one of only a handful of Slytherins in a school that, by-and-large, seemed to be firmly against Slytherins. With the exception of the first-year snakes, it was open season, and now they were finding out what it was like for the other houses to deal with Snape's obvious favoritism. It had never really gone to that extreme with the teachers, but they couldn't be everywhere, and it was becoming more and more difficult to avoid the groups that were _'Snake-Hunting'_, as they called it.

She sighed to herself. She hadn't really wanted to come back to Hogwarts, but she had been convinced to sit her seventh year and keep an eye on her little sister in Ravenclaw, not that she needed it. Astoria was fine in Hogwarts. She wasn't in Slytherin and none of her friends were supporters, so she was largely left alone.

Her, on the other hand...

Growing up for Daphne was difficult. She did love her father, but he was horribly strict with her at times, almost unreasonably so. What made it confusing was that Astoria was spared from such pressures, taught more how to be a lady instead of the lessons she had with her father. When she finally asked about it, her father only mentioned that he wanted to leave his legacy to her. Since her mother had died giving birth to Astoria, a young Daphne assumed he meant his name and all that entailed.

Now, she wasn't so sure she was right about that.

She had been wandering the hallways, uncomfortable in her common room and unwanted by the other students in the corridors. Her years sneaking around the school had paid off so far, she had yet to run in to anyone. She had one or two close calls, but a quick duck into an unused classroom and a few moments wait kept her from being seen by anyone. She briefly wondered how Harry was doing it so successfully for so long, but shook the thoughts off quickly.

She continued wandering, lost in her thoughts when she heard someone coming from ahead of her. A quick look around revealed only a small broom cupboard to hide in, so she ducked inside and shut the door softly behind her.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she looked around the small room she found herself in. Personally, she thought it odd that there was another broom cupboard here when there was one just down the hallway around the corner, seeing as they were usually much more spread out, but she wasn't complaining. It was a place to... _Avoid_ running into people. She definitely wouldn't admit to hiding.

She had dismissed the room and turned back to the door, listening to someone's footsteps get closer. As Daphne was idly thinking about what she would say if she were discovered in here alone, the skin on the back of her neck prickled and a chill raced up her spine, causing her to straighten. She honestly felt like she was being watched, and in such a small room, she didn't like that at all.

Worried that she had just walked into a trap, she frantically looked around the room for anything that might be out of place or wrong or even just a little bit odd. Several long seconds of searching turned up nothing out of the ordinary, and she almost sighed in relief when she looked around the broom cupboard again. Everything was put exactly where it should be.

_Everything._

And panic struck again. In her experience, _nothing_ was this put together without it trying to hide _something_, and she was not really wanting to find out what.

"There you are," A voice behind her said, causing her to freeze. "I have some questions for you."

* * *

Minion #333, henceforth known as Trip, was not having a good day. After a rather unsuccessful mission for one Lucius Malfoy, and the subsequent torture for failing, he collected his meager earnings from the floor, the small bag of coins having split open upon impact with his face and scattering the coins around half the room. Not wanting to ire the elder Malfoy again so shortly after the last time, he ended up leaving half his pay behind after seeing Malfoy's hand twitch toward his wand.

Trip immediately went to a dive in Knockturn Alley known for its cheap and mostly edible food and spent a meager few coins on some rather hard and crusty bread and a small bowl of a watery soup-like substance that almost tasted like chicken. At least, what little he had did.

The table he was sitting at was in the same condition as the rest of the ones in the place, which wasn't that good. It honestly looked like the whole building was held together with spit and duct tape and magic and that's about it, and the furniture didn't look much better. He didn't think much of the creaking and groaning coming from his chair or the table he was sitting at, he was simply too hungry. He ate two whole bites of the bread and a spoonful of the watery soup when two of the table legs snapped off, sending his food sliding off to the side and all over the floor.

If that hadn't been enough, when the table leg nearest him snapped off, it did so in the direction of his face.

Being bashed in the head by a large chunk of wood was enough to shift Trip's weight to the point where the legs on the right side of the chair snapped off, sending him crashing to the floor, breaking the chair further as he fell. After a moment of staring blankly at the ceiling, he managed to stagger his way back to his feet and blink the stars out of his eyes. As soon as his vision cleared, he looked up into the irate gaze of the owner of the establishment.

The very _big_ owner.

After paying for the damages out of what little coin he had left, he quickly ran away from the place. A quick transfiguration later, Trip headed through the Leaky Cauldron and into muggle London, thinking that maybe it would be best to just head home and crawl in bed. Today was obviously not a good day, but maybe tomorrow would be better. A loud noise startled him and he spun around, only to be blinded before immense pain racked his entire body.

He may have failed to see the bus barreling down upon him when he stepped off the curb, but he definitely heard the horn.


	3. Viper

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter... Or the lefts.

**Author's Note:**

The third chapter of _Becoming Mr. Black_.

**Publish Date:** Feb. 14th, 2014

**Update Date:** N/A

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Viper

_(A.K.A. What's in a Nickname?)_

_Worried that she had just walked into a trap, Daphne frantically looked around the room for anything that might be out of place or wrong or even just a little bit odd. Several long seconds of searching turned up nothing out of the ordinary, and she almost sighed in relief when she looked around the broom cupboard again. Everything was put exactly where it should be._

_Everything____._

_And panic struck again. In her experience, __nothing__ was this put together without it trying to hide __something__, and she was not really wanting to find out what._

_"There you are," A voice behind her said, causing her to freeze. "I have some questions for you."_

* * *

Daphne didn't move. She knew Tracey was the one behind her, but that didn't matter right now, she just wanted _out_ of this lying little room and somewhere where she didn't feel like she was being so intently watched.

"Are you listening to me?" Tracey demanded. "You've been off ever since you came back!"

"Tracey," Daphne started, turning toward her friend. She wanted to discuss this elsewhere, somewhere better for a private conversation, but apparently Tracey wasn't having that.

"No!" the brunette yelled, her voice echoing around the small room. "You promised me answers, then you disappeared for the entire Hell Year, not to mention the fact that you've been avoiding everyone all this year!" Tracey huffed and took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "You have had me spying on our housemates for my entire life here at Hogwarts. I followed you into a group that hated me for being _born_, I lost my chance to get to know my half-brother, I likely gave up my only chance to find real friends other than you, and you're still refusing to tell me why!" Tracey glared heavily at the blonde before snarling out, "I love you like a sister, and you're still keeping secrets from me!"

"I'm still under a number of oaths," Daphne muttered, surprising Tracey immensely. "I can't say much of anything until I'm released from them."

Tracey stared at Daphne in shock. "But you were the one that always told me to _never_ swear an oath and that it would _always_ come back to bite me."

Daphne snorted before blandly saying, "I know," She pointed to herself before adding, "Currently being bitten." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair and said, "My curiosity got the better of me and it just snowballed out of control from there."

Tracey's gaze narrowed dangerously before she growled, "What can you tell me about them?"

"Tracey," Daphne began saying, but seeing the glare from the brunette made her sigh and instead mutter, "What I _can_ tell you isn't much, and the confusion it would cause you would likely bother you more than not knowing anything." Daphne shook her head before asking, "Now, are you sure you want to know?" At Tracey's nod, Daphne sighed tiredly and asked, "Then do you mind if we go somewhere else to talk? This place is really starting to bother me."

"You could always stay here. Might as well get the full story."

Daphne sighed and shook her head, muttering, "I should have known it was you. Where are you this time?"

Tracey snapped her wand into her hand and looked around the room, trying to find the speaker when Daphne replied, causing her to stare at the blonde. "Daphne?" Tracey questioned cautiously. "What's going on?"

Daphne sighed and replied, "Just put your wand away, we're fine." At Tracey's incredulous look, Daphne explained, "It's the person I swore that oath to. I promise, everything will be just fine." She huffed out a breath and muttered, "_After_ I cuff him 'round the head a time or two."

Tracey arched an eyebrow at her but put her wand back in its holster. Shortly after, just as she was going to ask Daphne again what was going on, the entire room shimmered out of existence, leaving what looked to be an empty classroom that was much larger than the broom cupboard illusion and had been converted into rather comfortable living quarters.

And as soon as she spotted the figure sitting in a padded chair by the fireplace, she knew why.

"So this is where you've been hiding out, Potter?" Daphne asked, walking over to the fireplace and the chair across from Harry. "By the way, your illusion is perfect." Seeing Harry begin to grin, she interrupted, "It's _too_ perfect. No broom cupboard is ever going to be that perfect. _Nothing_ was out of place."

At Harry's questioning look, Daphne rolled her eyes at him and continued, "People in that line of work aren't going to care if all the brooms are facing the right way or that the mops didn't drip on the floor because by then they're likely tired, and a tidy broom cupboard is the least of their concerns." She walked past the chair and over to Harry, before patting him on the head as if he were a dog and said mockingly, "But good try, better luck next time!" She then proceeded to cuff him twice before sitting in the chair across from him.

Harry glared playfully at the blonde and said, "Nice to see you too, how have you been?"

Daphne just arched an eyebrow at him while Tracey watched the proceedings with interest, wanting to know how her best friend knew the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

After a long moment, Daphne finally stated, "You've been ignoring me."

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He nodded and answered the unasked question, "There were some things I needed to do and decisions I still need to make. I'm sorry it took so much of my time and attention."

Daphne looked closely at Harry, finally noticing just how off he looked from normal. "How long?" She asked softly, surprising Tracey, who could hear the concern in the blonde's voice.

Harry tilted his head to the side in confusion and asked, "How long, what?"

Daphne frowned and demanded, "How long has it been since you've slept?" Seeing Harry was about to deny it, she shook her head and continued, "I can tell you're wearing muggle make-up to hide the bags under your eyes, Harry, among other things." She leaned forward and asked again, "Now, how long?"

Tracey snorted and mocked, "The Gryffindor Golden Boy wears muggle make-up?"

The brunette was shocked when Daphne's head snapped around to glare heatedly at her, hissing, "Shut it, Tracey." Daphne's mouth twisted into a cold grin and she continued, "Or shall we get into the things _you've_ done to better your appearance?"

Tracey wisely shut her mouth.

Harry sighed and waved his hand, conjuring another padded chair next to Daphne's. "Have a seat, Davis." With a shrug he added, "More comfortable than standing at least."

Tracey, after shaking off the shock and awe of Harry's seemingly nonchalant use of non-verbal wandless magic, made her way over to the chair and cautiously sat on the edge, asking, "So when are you going to release Daphne from her oaths?"

Harry sighed and nodded, replying, "Right now, actually." He turned to Daphne and took a breath before saying "Daphne Greengrass, I release you from all but the first oath you swore to me."

"From _all_ of them, Potter," Tracey snarled at him.

"Tracey," Daphne said softly, drawing the irate brunette's attention. "I wouldn't release me from the first one either." She shook her head and continued, "It doesn't do anything except keep me from revealing something quite personal, anyway."

Tracey snorted. "Of course the Gryffindor Golden Boy-"

"Tracey!" Daphne snapped in exasperation. "Stop it. You've never been this rude before, why are you being so now?"

"He used you!" Tracey yelled, springing up from her seat. "He used you and _forgot_ about you! He's just as arrogant and self-centered as Malfoy sai-"

_**CRACK!**_

Tracey wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly she was dizzy and lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, and the side of her face hurt like _hell_. She blinked in confusion and lifted her head, expecting to see Harry pissed and standing over her.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Daphne cradling her quickly bruising hand and glaring at her from behind the infamous 'Ice-Queen' mask she wore all the time at school. "You hit me," Tracey slurred, as if not really believing it. "You actually _hit_ me."

Tracey had finally stumbled to her feet, swaying slightly as she made her way back to the chair she had previously occupied, still stunned silent. The fact that Daphne had physically struck her rattled her completely. She had never really been one to give in to anger _that_ much, and even less likely to ever physically hit _anyone_. The fact that she did either meant that Potter had her enthralled somehow, or Daphne _really_ cared about Potter.

She wasn't sure which option was worse.

Harry walked over to Daphne and sighed, saying gently, "Let me see your hand, Daphne."

The blonde held her injured hand out to Harry, never breaking her glaring at Tracey. He gingerly cupped her hand in his before his hands started glowing gently, easing the traces of pain from Daphne's face. Finally the blonde took a deep breath and said stiffly, "I already have my little sister enamoured with that little albino ferret and hanging off his every word like it came from Merlin himself." She shook her head and continued, "I _damn_ sure don't need you doing it as well." She turned to Harry and demanded, "Why did you save him anyway? _And_ you defended his family in the trials. Why?"

Harry looked at her curiously and smiled softly, asking, "Would you still think the same of me if I had just left him to die?" At Daphne's shocked look, he continued, "And I didn't defend his _family_, I defended his _mother_. She lied straight to Tommy-Boy's face about me being dead, I owed her that much." He seemed to think for a second before he corrected himself unthinkingly, "Well, _still_ dead at least."

Daphne yanked her hand back from him and stared at him in absolute horror. "What the hell do you mean, _still_ dead?"

Harry's eyes widened before he said quickly, "Nothing, Daphne. I'm fine, see?"

Daphne's horror only deepened when she put the pieces together for herself. "I heard about Voldemort's ultimatum. You did, didn't you?" When he looked away and didn't answer, she finally asked, weakly, "_Why_? You promised me you would come back."

Harry sighed and looked back at Daphne sadly and said quietly, "I didn't want to do it. All I wanted to do was find you and run and forget the rest of the world and never look back again." His shoulders slumped and he continued, asking, "Do you remember what I told you about how he survived that night?" At Daphne's nod, he concluded, "Well, there was one none of us knew about," and tapped the now nearly completely faded scar on his forehead.

Daphne just shook her head in response, muttering, "No."

"It was the only way to make sure he was gone for good," Harry continued, adding sadly, "I had to, there was _no_ other way, or I would have done that instead, no matter what it was. I never wanted to break my promise to you, Viper."

Daphne smiled weakly at the nickname before asking, "So how did you survive a second one?"

Tracey's wide-eyed stare bounced between the two that had seemed to forget that she was even there. How long had this been going on under her nose? Daphne had never let _anyone_ call her any kind of nickname, not even her, and the last male that had tried found out at wandpoint that it was a _horrible_ idea right before he ended up in the hospital wing with a broken block and tackle. They were _still_ questioning the poor bastard's ability to preform in any capacity more than a year later, including urination. She was also starting to put pieces together, as unlike Daphne, she had been here for Hell Year, and was there for the Battle of Hogwarts, and she quite clearly remembered_ exactly_ what the ultimatum had been, and the events after, including Potter's supposed 'death'. She almost opened her mouth to call him a liar, but decided that she probably shouldn't say _anything_ until she knew more about what was going on here, because she was completely and thoroughly confused as all hell about how these two seemed so _close_.

"Technically, I didn't," Harry shrugged. "He fired off an _Avada_ at me and it killed me." He sighed and continued, "But because I had one in my head, I was offered the choice of continuing on, or coming back." He grinned sheepishly and said, "So I came back."

That was the moment Hermione and Neville burst through the door, wands drawn.

* * *

_"There you are. I have some questions for you."_

"What do you want, Luna?" Hermione asked stiffly, trying not to throttle the blonde. Hermione would never admit to it, but she actually did like the strange girl.

Just not when she was trying to find-slash-save Harry.

"He doesn't need saving, you know," Luna stated dreamily.

Hermione spun quicker than anyone could see and glared at Luna. "The last guy alone in the presence of Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis ended up with a _broken pelvis_, among other things, from the cursing he received." She shrugged and added, "Not saying that he didn't deserve it, but Greengrass and Davis spent quite a bit of time around Parkinson and Malfoy." She shook her head and turned around, starting to head off towards where the map in her hands indicated Harry was, adding, "It's not something I'm willing to risk."

Luna sighed and said, "Do you really think that Daphne could hurt Harry? Or allow Tracey to?"

Hermione once again froze in her tracks. She sighed and turned to face the blonde again, saying, "What do you know, Luna? You obviously know something, so spill."

Luna smiled dreamily and replied, "I know many things. For instance, did you know the Slumdinger lays its eggs in a person's brain? It tends to make them rather uptight." The quirky blonde tilted her head to the side and asked innocently, "Have you been checked for Slumdinger eggs, Hermione? It's a rather easy procedure."

Hermione sighed in exasperation and replied, "There's no such thing as Slumdingers, Luna."

The sudden serious look on Luna's face surprised Hermione as the blonde asked, "Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

Hermione opened her mouth to say yes, but her mind was faster. According to the laws of probability, Luna was bound to be right about something, sometime. Was she willing to bet that this wasn't that time?

One more look at the serious Luna made her decision.

"And how does one check for Slumdinger eggs?" Hermione sighed, not really believing she was going along with this.

Luna smiled brightly and replied, "It's easy!" With that, she skipped over to Hermione and pulled down on the bushy-haired witch's ear to look closely inside, even going so far as to use a _lumos_ spell.

"All the better to see in your ear with!" Luna laughed when asked about it.

It was several, _several_ long moments for the brunette, being manhandled by the ears by a waif of a girl, but she persevered. Luna finally declared her Slumdinger egg free, with the added statement of:

"It seems you're just naturally that uptight."

Hermione wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not.

Neville was trying his hardest to not break out guffawing at the scene before him. Any time Hermione and Luna interacted, it was always bound to be hilarious for everyone else.

Luna finally said her farewells and skipped off to who-knows-where, leaving the two Gryffindors to rush off to the room Harry and the two Slytherins were in, drawing their wands along the way.

They reached the door moments later, looking at each other and nodding once before rushing through, wands raised and ready for a fight.


	4. Are You Serious!

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter... Or the lefts.

**Author's Note:**

So, I'm rather surprised at just how popular this story is, especially this quickly. So thank you guys for reading!

I do want to say, however, that I'm currently trying to keep up and write four separate stories, and still contend with the one-shots and ideas that pop up, so I don't know how often they'll be updated, but I'm not abandoning any of them. There's a new poll on my profile to vote on which story you think should be getting the most focus.

I know this chapter ends a bit suddenly, but it was actually the best place to stop it, considering where the next chapter picks up.

Oh, and beware for the Ginny-bashing at the end of this chapter.

Without further ado, here's the fourth chapter of _Becoming Mr. Black_. Enjoy!

**Publish Date:** Feb. 28th, 2014

**Update Date:** N/A

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Are You Serious?!

_(A.K.A. You Mean You Weren't Joking?!)_

Hermione and Neville had barely made it into the room, wands raised, when they were ripped from their hands and into Harry's waiting one. He set them on the table next to his chair and sat down again, saying, "No fighting in here, you two."

Hermione blinked at her empty hand and then blinked at Harry before scowling and asking, "What was that for?"

Harry simply arched an eyebrow in reply. "I've turned this place into my sanctuary, and I won't have that changed." He stated, shaking his head. "No fighting in here."

Hermione huffed and shot back, "I'm sorry, I was worried about my best friend!" She waved a hand at the two Slytherins and continued, "The last guy that was alone in their presence ended up in the hospital wing for a month and he's still being treated for the damage they caused to his entire pelvic region." She threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed, "And that was a _year_ ago!"

Neville winced and unconsciously covered his own bits.

Tracey snorted and replied to Hermione, "That one was all Daphne. Even I was mildly surprised at just how vicious she was then." The brunette seemed to think for a moment before continuing, "Although, now I think I know why she was so... _Angry_ about it."

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion as Daphne growled and snapped out, "He deserved it, and _you_ shouldn't have stopped me, I wasn't done with the little bastard."

Harry tilted his head to the side bemusedly and asked, "What did he do that was so bad that he deserved more than he already got?"

Hermione was treated to the sight of a blush creeping across the blonde's cheeks. It was the first time the bushy-haired witch had seen any emotion other than apathy and mild annoyance or irritation on her face, and it was a strange sight indeed. Hermione had both Runes and Arithmancy with her, so she felt she had a good idea of what kind of person Daphne was, but she was starting to think she might have been mistaken.

Just a little bit, though.

Tracey barked out a laugh and answered for her friend, "He decided it would be a good idea to call Daphne a pet name." She snorted and added, "It wasn't."

Neville winced and and questioned, "What kind of pet name could someone possibly call you that would invoke such a violent reaction?"

Daphne's blush deepened and she answered stiffly, "One that was already taken."

Hermione's mind raced in thought. As far as she knew, Daphne kept everyone but Tracy at arm's length. _No one_ got close enough to her emotionally to develop pet names.

Neville rolled his eyes and responded, "I meant specifically, what name?"

Tracey smirked at Daphne, who scowled in return and said, "Don't you dare, Tracey."

Tracey's smirk turned into a rather wicked grin and she answered Neville's question, ignoring Daphne's statement. "He said, and I quote, 'How would you like to go out with me this Saturday, my little Viper?'." Tracey shrugged and continued, "He was probably just trying to sound smooth, but he picked a supremely stupid word to use apparently."

The thunderous scowl that crossed Daphne's face at the mere memory made Neville back up a step, as he was acutely aware that he _didn't_ have a wand while she _did_. He wasn't sure he had ever been quite so afraid, and he made a mental note to _never_ refer to Daphne as any kind of serpent.

_Ever._

Hermione, ever the curious one, proved once again that her brain quite often simply made her mouth speak long before it ever considered what was going to come out. She tilted her head to the side slightly and asked, "Who calls you Viper, then?"

Tracey grinned wickedly.

Daphne scowled dangerously.

Neville dropped his face in his hands and groaned.

But it was Harry's statement that accomplished the impossible. Two small words that did something no one ever thought would happen, and the only witnesses were in the room.

"I do."

Daphne's head dropped and her shoulders slumped. She was sure she could hear her hard-built reputation as the Ice-Queen shattering.

Neville's head shot up and he looked either supremely confused, or immensely constipated.

Hermione's reaction, however, took the cake. She completely locked up. If one were to plug her brain in like a computer, this is what would be going on inside.

_Harry Potter has a pet name for Daphne Greengrass. Y/N_

_Yes._

_Unable to compute._

_Daphne Greengrass _allows_ Harry Potter to call her a pet name. Y/N_

_Yes._

_Unable to compute._

_System failure. Reboot? Y/N_

"I think I broke her," Harry snorted.

Hermione was completely still, locked in place and trying to find a way to assimilate this new information into what she already _knew_ to be true. She wasn't having much luck yet, but she wouldn't stop until she knew _how_ this had come to happen.

Finally, _finally_, Hermione decided she needed more information and began, "How-" She shook her head and restarted, "Wha-," She shook her head again, beginning again and settling on a simple, "Explain."

Harry sighed and replied, "We met in first year. One thing led to another and we became friends. We could only meet up a couple times a year without raising suspicion, which made it difficult, but we made it work."

Daphne continued, "And I kept tabs on all of the Death Eater children in Slytherin with Tracey's help and passed along what I could."

"Speaking of," Harry said with a grin, getting the attention of the blonde witch. "Would you consider accepting a job offer?"

Daphne arched an eyebrow at him and smirked slightly, replying, "That entirely depends on the job and what's in it for me."

Hermione snorted in derision and muttered quietly, "Of course she'd ask _that_."

Daphne ignored the bushy-haired witch and continued focusing on Harry, asking, "So what's the job, exactly?"

"I find myself in need of a medic and potion brewer, and far more often than I'd like, and I'd rather not have to have to scramble to find one every time," Harry replied, also completely ignoring Hermione's statement. "So I'd like to hire someone on a more permanent basis."

"And the more important question of what's in it for me?" Daphne said, her smirk widening. She noticed Tracey looking at her oddly but brushed it off, opting to focus on Harry instead.

Harry stood and crossed his arms, taking a step toward Daphne. "What do you want?" He shook his head and corrected himself, "Better yet, what would be fair?"

Daphne grinned at him and said, "Well it seems you did learn something I tried to teach you," causing Harry to grin back at her. By this point, she was thoroughly ignoring the incredulous looks Tracey, Hermione and Neville were directing at the two of them, having too much fun with this conversation. "An excessively large paycheck, travel reimbursement, hazard pay, paid vacations, generous research funds, unlimited and unrestricted access to any and _every_ family library you can allow, and a spacious room in mansion on a gorgeous private island in the sun. One with beaches. _Good_ ones."

"Done." Harry replied immediately, turning and beginning to write on a piece of parchment.

Daphne froze. _He couldn't be serious, could he? Didn't he know that was far too much?_ "You can't be serious. That's too much!" she heard Hermione exclaim. _Great. Now I'm thinking like Granger. Next thing you know, we'll be best friends._

"I'm not Sirius," Harry grinned, and Daphne nearly sighed in relief until he continued, "My godfather was seriously Sirius. I'm Harry. I did mean it when I agreed, though."

Daphne arched an eyebrow and asked, "You do realize I was joking, don't you?"

Harry smirked and replied, "You do realize I wasn't, don't you?"

Daphne blinked in shock before finally muttering, "Wait, what?"

Harry finished up what he was writing and folded it, walking over to a long, slim box and opening it. He dropped the parchment inside and shut the lid with a _snap_ before turning back to the rest of the group.

Neville looked intensely at the box on the table and then at Harry. Finally he asked, "Harry, is that what I think it is?"

Harry nodded and replied, "Most likely."

Neville nodded slowly and then asked, "And did you just do what I think you did?"

Harry grinned and nodded again and said, "Again, most likely."

Neville sighed and chuckled, shaking his head. Hermione finally couldn't take it any more and asked, "What is it and what did you do this time, Harry?"

Harry's answering grin made her want to knock it off his face, but before anyone could do anything else, the gem inlaid in the top of the box began to glow. Harry turned and opened the box, pulling out a thin stack of papers. He flipped through and read them quickly before signing them and dropping them back in the box. As soon as the lid was closed, he turned around and said, "To answer your question, this is similar to the vanishing cabinets, except for paperwork. It's connected to an account manager at Gringott's."

Hermione arched an eyebrow and replied flatly, "You avoided the question of what you did this time."

Daphne, who was rather pale at this point, finally said, "Harry, please tell me you didn't do what I think you just did."

Harry looked at her bemusedly and asked, "What do you think I just did?"

Neville was the one that answered, stating, "Authorized an excessively large paycheck, travel reimbursement, hazard pay, and paid vacations, Set aside some generous research funds, and is probably having a mansion built with a spacious room on a gorgeous private island in the sun. One with beaches. _Good_ ones." He shrugged and added, "Can't add anyone to the access list for a family library without the Master Tome, so you likely can't do that part just yet."

Hermione asked incredulously, "How is it that you remember every one of Daphne's demands but can't remember the password to get into the dorms?" At Neville's confused shrug, Hermione shook her head and said, "I doubt Harry did all that."

Harry nodded and stated, "You're right." Hermione began to grin victoriously when he continued, "I only set aside the funds for research and the part about the mansion being built, the rest is included in the employment contract." A second of thought later and he shrugged and added, "I had to buy the island, too."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why would you do that?!"

"I was _joking_, Harry. I _knew_ those demands were too outrageous!" Daphne added. "Send another letter and cancel it!"

Harry just shrugged and said, "Can't. The island's already been purchased and construction has already been paid for and authorized." He grinned and continued, "You were the one that told me to never cancel a contract with the Goblins, are you really sure you want me to do so now?"

Daphne winced and sighed heavily, uttering, "No." She glared at him and said, "Why did you do it?"

Harry straightened and suddenly looked very serious, startling Daphne slightly. Finally he responded simply, "Because it was fair."

Daphne's eyes widened and she spit out, "No it wasn't!" She shook her head and elaborated, "Harry, a medic-slash-potion brewer _can't_ demand that kind of pay or those kind of benefits. Their jobs aren't worth _that_ much to _anyone_, for _any_ reason."

Harry shook his head and answered with a grin, "And I disagree, obviously."

Tracey was the one that interrupted and asked confusedly, "Where in the hell did you get that kind of money, Potter?"

"An inheritance of sorts," Harry answered evasively before changing the subject. "Either way, it's done. All I'm waiting on now is the employment contract for you to go over and then it's all completed." At that, the gem lit up again and Harry pulled out another slim stack of papers that he glanced at before immediately handing it to Daphne.

Finally, something seemed to register with Hermione, and she asked, "Wait, why do you need a medic on call anyway? I thought you said you were done with all the fighting and whatnot."

Harry went still and seemed to think about what to say before finally answering, "I'm hedging my bets. Do you remember the legacy I inherited?" At Hermione's nod, he continued, "Well, it seems he wasn't exactly the pacifist we both thought he was."

Hermione's eyes widened comically. "What?!" She exclaimed loudly. "What do you mean by that?"

Harry just shook his head and replied, "I'll tell you and Daphne later, but I'll need an oath that it doesn't go anywhere else."

Hermione grumbled at being told to wait for answers, but she seemed to be willing to do so. After Daphne had gone over the papers in her hands and had a short argument with Harry about taking it all back, she finally capitulated and signed the contract. Finally, Hermione brought up the question that had been plaguing her mind for this entire encounter. "How exactly did you keep in contact with Daphne?" she asked curiously. "If you could only meet up a few times a year without being noticed, how did it work?"

Harry snorted and failed miserably to smother his laughter. "This has been bothering you for a while, hasn't it?"

"YES!" Hermione demanded. She scowled at Harry and said, "Now, for the love of Merlin, tell me how you did it!"

Harry bit back a laugh and waited for as long as was deemed safe. Just before Hurricane Hermione whipped out her wand and became a whirling dervish of death, Harry said, "We kept in contact through owls. Sometimes more than one a day. Used the school owls to avoid detection."

"But, Hedwig would _never_ allow you to use a school owl," The bushy-haired girl exclaimed. "Do you not remember the one time we _tried_? The poor school owl _still_ can't fly in a straight line."

Harry snorted again and said sadly, in an obvious imitation of what had happened, "I'm sorry girl, but no one can know that I'm sending letters to Daphne, and let's face it, your just so gorgeous that you can't help but attract every eye in the room."

Hermione froze and blinked once. Twice. Three times before she finally asked, "Should I be more worried by the fact that you're that smooth with your _owl_, or the fact that you're that smooth with _only_ your owl?"

Daphne just cackled at Harry's exclamation of 'Hey!'.

* * *

A while later, Tracey and Neville had departed, leaving Hermione, Daphne, and Harry all seated around the fireplace. They sat in a slightly awkward silence for a while before Hermione finally asked impatiently, "So are you going to explain?"

Harry sat in silence for a moment before replying, "Oaths first. This is far too big to risk otherwise."

Hermione's eyes widened and Daphne sighed before immediately giving her oath. Hermione looked at her oddly before giving her own as well.

As soon as the mild flash died, Harry began with a question. "What do you two know about Mr. Black?"

Hermione looked confused and asked, "Is that someone related to Sirius?"

Harry barked out a rather Sirius-like laugh and replied, "I'll get to that later. For now, just the question."

Hermione shook her head before looking at Daphne, who was completely frozen. Hermione looked quizzically at the blonde and asked, "What's wrong?"

Daphne swallowed thickly before replying, "Mr. Black is a lot like the muggle Boogyman, only for those like Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He appears in places of war or when the bad side has the upper hand, and he proceeds to cull those he calls his enemies, and with no more mercy than they themselves were willing to show. Mr. Black is unstoppable, unkillable, untrapable, and impossible to locate. There have been stories of him passed down since far before the time of Merlin, as far as anyone can remember, and some even think he goes all the way back to the birth of magic itself. Often called _Death's Hand_ or _The Scourge of the Dark_, the last rumored appearance of him was during the Great War against Grindelwald." She shook her head and concluded, "But it's rumor. Myth. There's no possible way for him to exist, no one can live that long."

Harry grinned widely at Daphne and whispered, "Unless the name itself is a legacy passed down from the current Mr. Black to his or her successor."

Both witches paled drastically, but for completely different reasons. Daphne finally voiced their respective thoughts in a single word and said quietly, "Explain."

Harry sighed and began his story, starting with the events at the end of fifth year and his short conversation with Dumbledore after Hermione had left and the trunk he had been given. He had tried on a few random occasions over the next two years to open it with absolutely no luck, until earlier this year. "I finally got it opened, and as it turns out, Albus Dumbledore was the previous Mr. Black."

Daphne snorted and muttered, "I knew there was no way someone could be _that_ forgiving all the time," earning a scowl from Hermione.

The brunette opened her mouth to reprimand the blonde, but was interrupted by Harry replying, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that, but now I know why he was."

Hermione's head whipped around and she squeaked, "What?!"

Harry shook his head in reply and responded, "He felt he didn't or wasn't able to forgive enough in his time as Mr. Black, so he tried to make up for the supposed bad he did under that name." He shrugged and continued, "And then he retired the name and Mr. Black vanished once again."

"So he passed it on to you?" Hermione asked. At Harry's nod, she sighed and continued, "Do you have to, Harry? Wasn't Voldemort enough?"

"I don't _have_ to, no," Harry sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and said, "And I'm still trying to decide what to do about it."

"It should be an easy decision, Harry. In fact, I'm _sure_ you've already made it, and even started planning for it, even if you haven't realized it yet," Daphne smiled sadly at him.

Hermione looked confused and demanded, "What are you talking about? He just said he was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do!"

Harry looked curious as to her reasoning and tilted his head to the side, asking, "What makes you say that, Viper?"

Her smile seemed to sadden further and she asked, "Why would you hire me as a potion brewer, and more importantly, _medic_, if you hadn't already decided to do it, even subconsciously?"

Hermione's mouth, which had been open to refute whatever the blonde came up with, snapped shut with an audible _click_. She honestly couldn't think of a reason for Harry to need those on hand almost all the time if he was going to try and get the normal quiet life he wanted.

Harry seemed to be of the same mind and simply muttered, "Well, damn."

* * *

Daphne was sitting on the edge of the Astronomy tower late that night, thinking about the events of today. She smiled a rare smile at the thought of working with Harry for the foreseeable future. Sure, it was likely going to be terrifying at times, but that was heavily outweighed by the fun and excitement and the chance to do what she loved.

Her ruminations were interrupted suddenly by a blonde waif of an intruder, causing Daphne to look over at the girl curiously. She seemed extremely nervous, something Daphne had never before seen in the girl next to her. Again, her curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "What are you doing here, Luna?"

Luna sighed and replied with a question. "Did you know that I am a legitimate Seer?" She shook her head and continued, "Not like Trelawney or the like, who have two or three legitimate prophecies in their lifetimes that they never remember. My Seeing is active, I can use it whenever I like, as much as I like."

Daphne froze completely. A Seer that could do what Luna could do was _rare_. As in _maybe_ one or two every few _centuries_ or so. To know Luna was one of those was shocking, to say the least.

"Next question," Luna continued. "Do you know why I act the way I do?" At Daphne's questioning look, Luna elaborated, "Loony Lovegood."

Daphne flushed slightly. She had been one of the ones to call her that before she had met the girl. She hadn't since, but it was still a bit embarrassing, especially considering all the help Luna had been the past few years in passing messages to Harry.

Daphne finally shook her head and Luna smiled softly, saying, "I act the way I do because people far more often than not tend to humor Loony Lovegood and let the strange girl do what she wants." Her grin widened and she continued, "This makes it easier to delay and redirect people to encounters they need and avoid the one's they don't."

Luna tilted her head to the side and added, "Harry, for example. You wouldn't believe just how much work it was to get him where he needed to go and to meet the people he needed to meet, and in the right order." Luna shook her head and snorted. "I've used so many made up creatures as excuses for things, and I have to remember every detail, or else everything falls apart. Then, people start questioning things and that just makes it even more difficult to do what I need to do." The blonde sighed and continued, "If you _and _Hermione hadn't met Harry today in the order you did, in the _manner_ you both did, things would have not worked out the same. Harry never would have offered you the job that deep down you know you only really took to be with Harry. You never would have playfully accepted and realized too late he was serious, and things would have been much worse all around."

Daphne scowled dangerously at Luna and demanded, "You've been manipulating Harry?" She shook her head and continued, "Stop. No one gets to mess around with his life like a game, so _stop_. It's not necessary."

"I did this because it _was_ necessary," Luna corrected. "If I hadn't interfered the way I did, then Hermione would have been the first to find Harry instead of you. She would have convinced him to begin showing himself around the school, which would eventually numb him to the constant attention. He would have repaired his broken relationship with Ginny at her urging, they would have had three children, two sons and a daughter, and he would have been content with his life."

"Then why do it at all?!" Daphne demanded loudly. It _hurt_ to find out that he would have gotten back together with the weaslette, but still. "If he was going to be happy-"

"Daphne!" Luna snapped, causing Daphne to stop her ranting in shock. Luna had never been angry with her before, and seeing the irritation and impatience on the younger blonde's face directed at her instead of the usual dreamy expression or even the rarer serious look was something that cut through Daphne's rage at Luna manipulating Harry's life like a chess piece.

Luna took a deep breath to calm her nerves and said, "I said he would be _content_, not _happy_. And even then, it would be short-lived." Daphne paled a bit and Luna sighed before continuing, "He would have spent the next twenty years feeling like there was something missing in his life, but ignoring it in favor of what he had in front of him."

Luna seemed to sadden and kept speaking, "He would have then found out that two of his children weren't actually his, that Ginny had been using her quidditch career to cover her quite _numerous_ affairs, and that she was far more interested in the _fame_ of wedding and bedding the Boy-Who-Lived than she ever was in loving _Harry_. Due to this and in addition to the fact that he had become far too used to being stared at, he wouldn't notice the person that killed him in the middle of Diagon Alley while he was on his way to finalize his divorce from Ginny, on _her_ orders."

Daphne was torn between finding a bathroom to vomit the bile rapidly rising in her throat or finding the little ginger weaselette to rip her into pieces, and to Daphne's horror, Luna just kept going, "The Potter name and fortune would have ended up in the hands of Ginny, who would have squandered and wasted it all away on frivolous crap well within her lifetime, destroying not only the Potter name, but Harry's _own_ name as well as she used his reputation to get whatever she wanted, no matter what the cost or who was hurt in the process, as well as leaving her children broke, destitute, uneducated, and in the case of Harry's daughter and _only_ biological child, _sold_ to a whorehouse for the rest of her rather short life."

Daphne had thought that was the worst of it, but Luna spoke again, "Shortly after the death of Harry Potter, a small number of dark lords band together and attempt to take over the world, and with no one of Harry's caliber to stand against them, they nearly succeed. Their near success is the last straw, however, as they revealed our existence to the Muggle world in a way that made them fear us. Within a century of the death of Harry Potter, Magic is extinct on Earth."

Luna took a breath and said quietly, "There are things that must be done, and I won't be there to help Harry along and make sure that the worst doesn't happen." She shook her head and continued, "Honestly, I'm only telling you this because I _need_ the help and have no choice but to include _someone_, you happen to be the closest to Harry that wants the best for both him and the magical world."

Daphne tilted her head to the side and asked, "What exactly are you talking about?"

Luna huffed and answered, "There are going to be times where I need something to be done, but I'm simply not available to do it. To that end, I need you to do those things for me, and trust that it's for the best, even if it seems strange or random." Luna pinned Daphne with an intense, probing stare and asked, "Will you do that for me?"


End file.
